Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- (火喰鳥 羽州ぼろ鳶組)

It's looking a little more lively around here.

Yup. We've got a lot more people now.

Something bothering you, boss?

It's obvious everyone's getting much better at their jobs.

The problem is...

Don't be stupid.

If you die before me, I'll jump across the river to hell and drag you back.

...I'm a lot worse at this job than I used to be.

Boss?

What's the problem?

Well, there are always more fires in autumn and winter.

Yeah. We'll need to make sure we're ready by then.

We'll need a wind-reader, after all.

OEDO FIRE SLAYER THE LEGEND OF THE PHOENIX

Wow. Sekiwaki's on the list of top soba restaurants for a reason.

And the owner's daughter is such a nice, pretty girl, too.

Excuse me! Seconds!

You're done already?

Guys, don't forget we're here to talk about a wind-reader.

I know that.

But is it going to be that easy to find a wind-reader, boss?

It'd be hard if we did it the usual way.

You said you had a lead on one, right?

Yeah. A guy from back when I was a Jou firefighter in Iidamachi.

His name's a little intimidating, so I just called him "old man."

Intimidating?

Kaji "Fire" Magoichi.

"Fire"?

It's a terrible name for a firefighter.

No kidding.

But as far as I know, he's the best wind-reader around.

I've never seen him make a bad call.

If he's that amazing, he's probably still a Jou firefighter, right?

No, he quit before I did.

You're quitting?

I wanted to stay on with you,

but I've got something I have to deal with.

He never did tell me what that "something" was,

but it's been seven years. He must've taken care of it by now.

Do you know where he is?

Nope. I've got Samon out looking for him, but...

Miss, the soba noodles here are fantastic. Is there a secret ingredient?

I wouldn't call it a secret, but we get the buckwheat for our noodles from Shinano.

We have a storehouse out back that keeps it all fresh.

There aren't a lot of soba places around here that do that...

Welcome.

Lunch for one?

Yes.

Sorry, sir.

We're currently full. If you could wait just a minute...

I see an empty table there.

Um...

I'm sorry, sir.

Osuzu.

The locksmith's group...

Or rather, regulars of ours will be using that area soon.

What?

My good priest.

We'll be finished in just a moment.

If you don't mind waiting...

You...

It's not nice to the soba noodles to eat them in a foul temper.

I don't have time to eat soba.

Thank you.

Don't mention it. Osuzu, was it? You were very brave.

The mistress of this shop raised me like a daughter. I did nothing special.

I see. Good to hear.

I apologize.

The locksmith is a regular of ours,

but he can be a bit rude, and has a bad reputation.

Sounds rough.

SOBA

Thank you.

There's a lot of weirdos in Edo these days, huh?

You're a weirdo, too.

You were slurping noodles while it was getting heated.

Well, the noodles were just that good.

What will you do now, boss?

I'll go ask Samon if he's found any information on the old man.

You guys head back without me.

Okay.

Old man.

What is it, boss?

You read the winds perfectly again today, and nobody got hurt.

Join me for a drink? We can sit and look at the moon.

I've always wondered...

What?

You could do much better than being a firefighter if you wanted, right?

I think you overestimate me.

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Can you feel the wind indoors?

Can you look up at the moon?

Only by going outside can man truly shine like the stars.

Uh, sorry, old man. What does that mean?

Gengo.

Perfect timing. I was just coming to find you.

Did you find out anything about the old man?

Yes. I managed to find someone who knew him.

Really? What's their name?

Yamaji Rengaiken.

He's an astronomer with the Shogunate.

A Shogunate astronomer?

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.

Of course. I couldn't pass up a chance to meet the famous "Fire-Slayer."

How do you know who I am?

Whenever Shibukawa Magoichi talked about you, he always got so excited.

Shibukawa? Not Kaji Magoichi?

I see. Where to begin? It's a bit of a long story.

That's fine.

Magoichi was a member of the Shibukawa clan,

the very first Shogunate astronomers.

He was the son of the third in a line of astronomers, Shibukawa Hirotada.

But there was a secret about his birth.

A secret about his birth?

Hirotada went to Dejima in Nagasaki to learn the arts of astronomy.

That's where he met Magoichi's mother.

In other words, his mother was a foreign barbarian.

A foreign barbarian? I did think his features were well-defined, but...

He learned the arts of astronomy from a young age,

but being a bastard child meant he couldn't be an heir.

He decided to leave the family at the age of 30, I'm told.

What did he do before he met me?

He took on the name "Kaji" and devoted himself to his studies.

He studied all there was to know about the foreign arts of astronomy,

and gained knowledge that far exceeds my own.

Why would someone like that become a firefighter?

He always said that astronomers existed to serve the people.

That one learns in the outside world,

so one must serve the outside world as well.

Serve the world?

So he decided to become a firefighter to help people?

But he quit.

I told him to come back.

I needed his help to put together a new official calendar.

I told him that using an inaccurate calendar

would cause needless suffering among the people.

I had no idea.

So the "thing" he had to do was that calendar. Is he still doing it?

He died. Soon after quitting his job as a firefighter.

How?

A fire.

It was on our way to Kyoto.

We stopped at Moriyama Inn Town, quite near to Kyoto.

A fire started in an inn near to where we were staying.

The firefighters told us the wind blows down from the mountains at night there.

They planned to raze buildings on the west side.

But Magoichi said the rains over the past few days had cooled Lake Biwa,

meaning the wind wouldn't alter course, and they should raze the east side.

But they refused to listen.

And Magoichi was right.

The wind blew up from the lake and the whole town was soon on fire.

The firefighters who had predicted it wrong fled.

Magoichi stayed to help the elderly, women and children, and the sick.

And when he heard there were still people in the town...

Don't go!

We must flee or our own lives will be in danger!

Sorry. I guess I'm still a firefighter.

Don't go! Magoichi! Magoichi!

And that was the last we ever saw of him.

So the old man is no more.

Thank you for telling me all this.

Wait, Matsunaga-dono. You may still have some hope.

There is one man he called a genius. Maybe he'll help you.

Where can I find him?

He lives in Miyagi Village on the other side of the Arakawa River.